Roast chicken, sweet potato,and spinach
1996 Bouree Chambolle-Musigny
The acids let this village wine age a long time, but time has caught up and the acids are creeping into sourness. Raspberry, red cherries, an attractive hint of sandalwood but the acids and a bit of VA make me wish I had finished these up a few years ago. Short finish. C+/B-
Betsy picked up Dana from airport , then we had a nice family dinner. Oysters, grey sole, couscous, hakurei turnip with greens
2023 Fichet Bourgogne Cote d’Or Blanc
Good acids, lime and apple, good finish for level. B+/B
Over to friends for a Sunday Solstice lunch
I brought appetizers for 10, turns out there were 12 (Betsy/I and host couple split a bowl each)
Scallop crudo with shrimp, smoked bay scallop, watermelon radish, hakurei turnip, lime/mirin.
NV Filipa Pato 3B Rose Extra Brut
Strawberries, hint of cranberry, pretty fun Portuguese pink bubbly B
NV Vilmart Grande Reserve (mag)
2020 dg date, but neglected to write down month. Crisp, tensile,with snappy pear and mineral.Elegant mousse. Biggest bottle, first emptied. B+/A-
Boeuf bourguignon (from an absent friend’s cookbook), mashed potatoes, salad
2022 Descendientes de Jose Palacios Petalos (Bierzo)
Really lovely Mencia. Black raspberry and currant, bonfire, cigar wrapper. Nice balance, long, fine value. B++
2022 Castello di Farnetella Chianti Colli Senesi
Dried cherry, red cherry, a touch of saddle leather. Nice light profile but not very long. B-
Dessert was chocolate cake and raspberry coulis. There was also a bottle of Perez Ultreia St. Jacques but I didn’t taste as we had a dinner coming up later (not really a spitting situation).
OK, a couple of hours home to prepare and then we had Betsy’s sister and BIL over to see Dana and to celebrate last night of Chanukkah.
Shrimp, smoked scallops, and cockles (the cockles were conservas)
NV Andre Clouet Un Jour de 1911 Champagne
Good, but I’ve thought previous iterations of this were great. Brioche, golden orchard fruit, good persistence, medium long finish. Others really liked. B/B+
Lemony beef brisket, dill pickle latkes (I liked!) with sour cream or applesauce, and radicchio Caesar salad.
2004 Ch. Prieure Lichine
Tacky drying tannins, subdued black plum and currant, rather charmless. B-/C+;
Rugelach to finish. Great social day!
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it as only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.